Saving Bennett Reid (Book 3)

The Last Stand (Part 2)

(Bennett)

"You're sure about this?" Beta Chad queried, looking between Jax and me, displaying his uncertainty at the change in plan, though minor.

Naturally, I'd run it by Jax yesterday afternoon when we left the cemetery. Carter had decided that all the running around had sapped his energy, so he had dragged us to get lunch.

Black Rock's renovations had been playing on my mind since I recovered. What little funds the pack could afford to pool together with those given to us by Marcana and the Council, a rough estimate of the total figure gave me the chance to think some more about it.

I'd pitched the idea after Jax confirmed the figure. He listened to my plans, agreeing that it was a good idea and while he didn't prod much, he knew there was an underlying reason. We were looking to reshape the very foundation of what made Black Rock strong. If we were ever going to bounce back, a few things had to change from within the pack to its physical landscape.

"Yes." Jax confirmed. "We agreed on it and believe that the renovation plans are effective." he finished, gesturing to Black Rock's third and fourth-in-commands who were also with us. Both men indicated their agreement.

Beta Chad expelled a deep breath. "Alright. It's your pack."

His uncertainty, visibly based upon concern for Black Rock's future was understandable. Andre was the only one with the most experience among the four of us as he'd been born into the third-in-command rank and groomed to accept his responsibilities as the pack's head of security. And under Jax's leadership, he was the only one to retain his rank.

Jax, I, and Alister were upholding ranks and responsibilities that were a bit out of our league even if we'd grow into it at some point. We were inexperienced in our current roles; young in comparison to other higher ups of ally packs.

We were currently at Black Rock territory overseeing construction. Clearing away the debris from the attack, breaking down the remainders of destroyed structures, clearing away that set of debris and bringing it up to mark to facilitate construction had taken up the majority of the last week. With the beginning of a new week came the start of turning over a new leaf.

The construction plans required a final review before it began, and it was then we had proposed our new idea. Black Rock would look physically different than it had been, and it would accommodate my plans for security which I had yet to pitch.

We stood under one of the nine tents set out. Three tents housed benches and tables to serve as a temporary resting and dining place for the construction workers. Five others were set up to store construction material like bricks, cement, and steel beams, and the last tent served as a temporary command base, in which, we were currently stood, crowded around a small wooden table overlooking and reviewing the construction plans and blueprints laid out before us.

With the final say confirmed, Beta Chad rolled up the blueprints and existed the tent with Andre and Alister trailing behind. Jax had taken the initiative to assign security troops overseeing construction and helping out where they could. I had no objections to it. That job more or less fell to Andre and Jax.

"So, what other plans have you got cooking up in that big brain?" Jax teased with a smirk. I shook my head with a scoff.

"A few."

He frowned. "I didn't think much of your proposal yesterday but now I'm beginning to think you're playing at something bigger."

Well, he's not wrong. I'd been thinking obsessively about the renovations and the pack hierarchy that was considered the norm. It was outdated; inflexible for my plans.